curses
by wolfypuppypiles
Summary: Alec leaves Magnus' apartment after a fight and ends up in another one in an alley. Things do not go well and he needs help but Magnus asked for space. So that's what he'll give him. (Happy ending I promise)
1. Chapter 1

Magnus loved Alec, he loved every part of him, but sometimes the Nephilim just insisted on being stupid.

The warlock placed his hands on his hips as he watched his boyfriend rub a hand over his face in frustration.

"You know I love you, and I don't care who knows it, but the Clave are already going to be hard enough to deal with and you know they'll be rude to you. You don't have to go, I can tell you everything that happens, it's just a debrief of the plans for taking down Valentine."

Magnus heard the words being said but didn't like what they meant.

"You don't want them to see us together. As if they don't already know."

Alec pleaded with him, hands clasped in front of his chest.

"It's just going to make things harder than they need to be. There's a lot going on right now and you know they always insult you. You don't need that."

Magnus frowned, feeling more insulted by their conversation than what he might be at the Clave's meeting.

"I can handle it. I've been dealing with it for centuries, if you'd forgotten. If you don't want to be seen with me Alec, I understand but it doesn't make it any better. I know you want to be head of the institute one day, but I thought you wanted me to be there with you when you did."

Alec looked pained. "I do!"

Magnus shook his head, stoking the anger within himself so that it wouldn't give way to the hurt he was really feeling. He'd grown up knowing he could never love a man in public, that it would always be something to hide, but now that the world was changing he could be open about who he was and no one would make him hide it. He was just hurt that Alec would ask him to.

The warlock gripped the hot anger inside him and used it to say the words it hurt to say.

"If you don't want me there than I don't want you here. I think we should spend a little time apart until you can decide whether or not your reputation is worth our relationship."

Alec looked so heartbroken that Magnus almost immediately took the words back. Of course, he didn't want Alexander to leave, but he couldn't let the clave take what they had away, and force Alec into the shell that he'd hidden in for so long. So, he stood his ground, keeping his eyes away from the Nephilim's face in order to stay strong.

Alec's voice was shocked and quiet.

"Magnus, please."

"I'm serious Alec, get out." He couldn't hold any malice in his tone but the words did their job, and Alec left.

The apartment was quiet and Magnus felt empty.

…

Alec lingered outside for a long time, unable to leave but still unwilling to compromise. He knew that Magnus was strong enough to ignore the Clave and any other asshole that insulted him, but Alec wasn't. He couldn't stand to see anyone say a bad word against the man that he loved so much, and he knew that if he went to that meeting with him, he would lose his temper and end up punching one of his bosses.

So, he stayed, pacing outside the building, and trying to find the right words to explain.

He didn't stay just because of that either; this was their first fight as a couple and since Alec had never been in a relationship before, he wasn't sure how it worked. How long was he supposed to give Magnus space? Was he supposed to wait until Magnus came to him, or was he supposed to apologize first? What if this turned into a break like on that stupid television show about the friends that jumped in the fountains.

He thought maybe he should call Izzy but she wasn't exactly the relationship type and neither was Jace.

He stayed for almost an hour before deciding to go home. He could call Magnus tomorrow perhaps, or see him after the meeting. He was only a block away from the institute when a noise came from a nearby alley. Of course, it could have been a cat or some harmless mundane but in Alec's line of work, it was never something harmless.

He drew his seraph blade and approached carefully, steps silent on the concrete beneath him.

He made it a couple of steps forward before a head emerged from the shadows, with a snarling smile to match the curled horns sprouting from its forehead. It was a warlock, and he did not look friendly.

"Hello shadowhunter. I know who you are."

Alec pointed his blade to the man's throat, hoping he wasn't just some creepy friend of Magnus' because he doubted attacking an old friend would be good for their current argument.

"Do you? Well, then would you mind telling me who you are? Just so we're even."

The warlock moved closer and Alec took a careful step back, watching the man's hands in case he tried anything.

"Oh, you won't know me even by name. But I know who you are Nephilim and Magnus Bane really shouldn't leave his pet wandering around unguarded."

Right, probably not a friend then. Alec narrowed his eyes at the insult.

"What's your problem with us?"

The man's lip curled in disgust. "What kind of self-respecting warlock sides with the angels? He's a traitor."

Alec's chest burned with anger. This was exactly what he'd been worried would happen if he and Magnus went to the Clave meeting together. He couldn't stop himself, he lunged forward with his blade, only to be thrown backwards with the flick of the warlock's hand.

He slid against the concrete, head smacking a wall as it stopped his momentum, and his vision was briefly filled with spots. The warlock walked towards him as he struggled to get to his feet.

"I'm going to hurt you, Nephilim. And I'm going to make sure you keep hurting."

Alec's thoughts were slow and it took a lot of focus just to get to his feet. He'd hit his head hard and was sure of a concussion. But the warlock was chanting something as his hands glowed in front of him. The glow of magic came closer, and although Alec clumsily swung his blade, he was soon wrapped in the glow and heat of it.

It didn't burn like the sight of it may have suggested, but it instead had a strange draining feeling, as if all his energy and power was being sucked away. He wasn't sure what was happening until his seraph blade dimmed and his temporary runes began to fade.

The warlock smiled at the look of horror on Alec's face. "Yes, young one, I'm taking your angelic power. Don't worry, it isn't permanent, it'll just allow me to hurt you a lot more. Maybe it will teach you and Magnus to stay away from each other. You're weak and not worthy of a prince of hell."

The magic receded and Alec dropped to the ground, feeling weak without his strength and stamina runes. His seraph blade wouldn't work now, and he could only shakily get to his feet to try and fight in hand to hand combat. But, of course, a good right hook just isn't much good when you're facing a warlock.

He was thrown to the ground again, making his head pound further, before a sigh came from the man standing above him.

"You angels are all the same. Entitled brats, that think they're better than everyone else. But you're not. You don't even have wings, what kind of angels are you?"

Alec's eyes were clenched shut against the light as it stabbed at his head, which made the snap of his leg a real surprise.

He screamed and writhed on the dusty concrete as the bone inside his left leg snapped in half, following the orders of the half demon as he laughed.

"You can't fly and now you can't walk either. What a pathetic little creature you are."

He bent down to smile in Alec's face as the Nephilim tried to breathe through his agony.

"Stay away from Magnus Bane, or maybe I'll pay him a visit too. I'll be watching."

The awful horned creature disappeared before Alec could say anything in reply, and he groaned in frustration. He hadn't even gotten the ass holes' name.

The shadowhunter panted as he prepared himself to move, he just needed his phone to call for help, he was already so close to the institute. After a few deep breaths, he pulled his phone from his pocket, only to curse at the cracked screen that greeted him. It wouldn't even turn on and Alec was getting more desperate by the minute.

Okay, so he'd have to walk. Totally not a big deal, he only had a broken leg and a mean concussion. But he was a shadowhunter, he was trained for these sorts of situations.

First thing to do would be runes, for healing and strength so that he could get back to the institute. He pulled out his stele, relieved to find it intact, and went to draw a rune on his arm, only to be met with blinding, burning pain.

Now, using a stele always burns a little, but Alec had been using it for years and barely even felt it anymore. But this was different, this wasn't the sting and surge of power that he usually felt, no this was just pain.

He tore the stele away from his arm, and looked down at his now ruined skin. It hadn't been burning a rune into him, sinking to black like usual, it was simply burning him. He couldn't use any runes.

Today was going from bad to worse and Alec started to panic a little. He couldn't call for help, and he couldn't use runes, and pretty soon, his glamour would melt away and some mundanes would find him. He needed to get to the institute and he needed to get there soon.

But by the angel, he did not want to move, let alone get up and walk. If he could just draw an iratz, or maybe try to strengthen his angelic power rune. He gingerly brought the stele to his skin once more, unable to stop the scream that tore from him. His vision was spotted with black after just a few seconds, and after tearing the stele away once more, all he saw was burns. Fuck.

He took a moment to just breathe, waiting until his vision was mostly clear again, before attempting to sit up. Even that was difficult, and left him more than a little nauseous, but he couldn't wait much longer.

Alec grit his teeth and focussed on breathing as he slowly, carefully got to his feet…Foot.

It hurt just to place his broken foot on the ground but if he wanted to stop hurting he'd have to get home. And try not to pass out on the way there.

Taking a moment to pray to every angel he knew the name of, Alec sucked in a breath before beginning to walk. He almost screamed again from the pain of the first step and knew it would only get worse as he went on, but he couldn't just lay on the street until someone found him. Even Jace wouldn't be able to feel his pain with his Parabatai rune so weak.

Alec wouldn't like to admit that he cried during his walk home, but with his broken leg and fight with Magnus, he thought he was a little entitled to some tears. And maybe some whimpering.

When he finally caught sight of the institute, he was filled with dread rather than relief because the usually bright stained glass windows, looked dirty and grey. The stone was broken in places and vines grew over the entire abandoned building. It was glamoured from him! He wouldn't be able to get in.

A sob fell from his mouth as he limped towards the cold stone steps, watching the police tape flutter in the light wind.

"No, no, no. This can't be happening."

He was growing dizzier as he came up the steps, as his pain and panic reached a crescendo. His hands shook as he pulled out his stele once more, only to find that the door would not accept his rune, barely even burning the wood as his strength waned. He threw his stele down in frustration and leant heavily against the door, unable to hold himself up anymore.

He tried to say the words he'd been taught, the plea to the angels to allow him to enter, the pledge and duty of a shadowhunter. But his tongue was heavy and his words slurred in his mouth. Finally, with no other options, he simply banged his fists against the doors instead, hoping someone inside would hear him and come to help.

"Please, I can't… Jace, Izzy."

He banged as hard as he could but he could hear no answer and the sight of the ruined church did not change. His words turned into gasps and pained whimpers, and he had nothing left. Alec slumped against the door, slipping to the ground, and succumbing to the darkness as the pain washed over him, turning everything to black.


	2. Chapter 2

Izzy threw Jace over her shoulder, flipping him onto the floor and smiling as he let out a grunt, before banging rang through the institute and alarms sounded. The shadowhunter frowned and pulled her brother up from the floor.

"What is that? And where the hell is Alec? He was supposed to be home hours ago."

Jace rubbed his ribs as he followed her over to the computers as they flashed with warnings. Someone was trying to enter the institute. Izzy sighed as she pulled up security camera footage to see who it was, and her blood ran cold at what she saw.

Alec, her big brother, was slumped against the stone steps, unconscious. She didn't waste a second as she sprinted to the door, screaming out orders, leaving Jace to see the screen for himself.

"I need help over here! Someone get a stretcher and bring me a healer, now!"

Jace's heart seemed to stop at the sight of his Parabatai, motionless on the steps, because he realized that he couldn't feel him. His hand went to his side, lifting his shirt to see his Parabatai rune, but it was faded, and their bond felt as if it had been cut off.

He suddenly felt as if he couldn't breathe. The only reason his rune would be faded was if Alec was dead. But he couldn't be.

Panic swelled in Jace's chest before he realised. Alec really couldn't be dead, because otherwise he'd be in agonizing pain, feeling as if part of him had died. But all the felt was a strange sense of numbness, as if Alec's connection had been lost like a bad phone call.

He peered at the computer screen, watching his brother's chest closely, and sighed with relief when he saw it rise and fall. He almost slumped against the desk as his heart relaxed, until he heard Izzy curse at the doors.

He ran over just as she kicked at the door and tried to input the code again. It automatically locked from both sides when mundanes and other non-angelic beings, tried to enter, and Isabelle couldn't work out why it wouldn't open.

Jace went to her side and pulled her back before she broke something, tapping at the control screen to open the doors. There were shadowhunters running around behind them, following Izzy's orders, and trying to shut off the alarms, but they were like white noise to the two Lightwoods as they pulled open the door and rushed out.

Alec was slumped there, looking pale and beaten. There were grazes and bruises across his cheeks and jaw and his left leg was laying at an uncomfortable angle.

Izzy was calm and collected, already thinking of what needed to be done and who needed to be called, but Jace was shaking as he looked over his brother. Izzy was placing her fingers at Alec's throat, monitoring his breathing, gently pressing her hands over him to determine his injuries, but Jace could only watch and wait for her verdict.

He watched her work, obeying her orders when she told him to hold Alec's head, her voice hard and determined.

"Hold his head steady, I think he has a concussion. Can you feel him through the bond? How bad is it?"

Jace slipped his hands under his brother's head and neck to hold him still as Izzy continued her examination. He almost didn't want to tell her, didn't want to worry her further because while she looked calm and collected, he knew it was her way of freaking out. His voice was quiet and unsure.

"Izzy something's wrong."

She looked up suddenly, eyes wide with panic.

"Did he stop breathing?!"

Jace quickly amended, shaking his head. "No, it's not that. I can't feel our bond. It's like it's just…disconnected from his side."

Izzy paused at that before shaking her head as if to clear it. "We'll deal with that later, right now all that matters is that he's alive so we need to keep him that way. Someone should call Magnus."

Jace nodded and looked down at his brother's lax face. It wasn't until they tried to get him on the stretcher that he made any noise. Jace watched his face carefully as multiple hands came down to help move his brother, but as soon as they tried to lift him, his dark eyebrows came down and a soft moan escaped his lips.

Jace leant in closer, hoping it wasn't just his imagination. But no, Alec's chest was rising and falling in choppier, hitched, breaths and his face was contorting in pain.

"Alec? Can you hear me?"

Izzy's head snapped up from her work, at Jace's words, and she called out for everyone to stop moving and moved closer to her brothers face.

"Is he awake? Alec?" She was holding his arm, preparing to draw an Iratz but paused as Alec whimpered.

Jace brushed the hair back from his parabtai's forehead as Alec attempted to open his eyes and speak, his voice weak and slurred.

"Hurts."

Izzy nodded and went to bring her stele down on his arm.

"I know, but I'm going to fix it. Just relax Alec and tell us what happened."

The shadowhunter weakly pulled his arm from her grip, trying to evade the touch of the stele as he mumbled. "A warlock. No, don't, no runes. I can't-"

Jace pressed Alec down when he tried to move too much, and tried to reassure him, thinking his brother was just delirious. More hands came to pulls Alec's hand away when he tried to push Izzy off.

"Everything's okay, just let us help."

But Alec kept fighting them as much as he could, and when the stele finally touched his skin, he let out a scream of pain. Izzy quickly pulled it away from the burn mark now on her brothers skin, quickly becoming more panicked and less in control.

"Oh, by the angel, Alec."

"What?" Jace peered over to look, joining Isabelle in her confusion.

"Did that just burn him?"

Izzy didn't know what to do. If they couldn't use runes on him, they wouldn't be able to heal him. She quickly called out to the shadowhunters behind her.

"Okay, listen up! No one use any runes on him or anything angelic until we figure out what's going on. We'll get him to the infirmary and treat his wounds as if he were a mundane." Everyone nodded and obeyed as they began to move Alec onto the stretcher once more.

Jace held one end as they quickly took him inside, Izzy running alongside them. "I'll call Magnus, he might be able to help if it was a warlock that did this."

They arrived at the infirmary and was transferring Alec to a bed when he heard Izzy, immediately trying to sit up as he gripped at Izzy's arm.

"No! Don't call Magnus!"

He was freaking out and Izzy pushed him back down on the bed, trying to calm him down.

"Alec, it's all right he can help."

"NO! Don't call him, please!"

Alec cried out in pain again as someone jostled his broken leg, tears escaping and rolling down his face as his whole body tensed. This was becoming more difficult by the minute but Isabelle couldn't stand to see her brother in pain. She quickly took his hand and reassured him.

"Okay, I won't. I won't call him, just calm down. I need you to tell me what happened."

He slumped back into the bed, whole body remaining tense as a healer attempted to splint his broken limb. Jace came to sit next to him, face full of concern, as he tried to speak through his gasps of pain.

"Me and Magnus had a fight, he kicked me out of his place."

Jace's eyes widened in shock. "Magnus did this?"

Alec shook his head before groaning at how it worsened his headache, and tried to concentrate through the mess of pain and noise. Izzy noticed his white knuckled grip on the bed and left only long enough to grab some pain killers and an IV bag, efficiently taping the needle to his arm and injecting the meds into the line.

Alec relaxed enough to speak again.

"No, I left his place and started to walk back here but a warlock attacked me. I didn't get his name but he didn't approve of our relationship. He did something to me, took my angelic power or something. I can't really remember everything he said but he threatened Magnus. He's watching me and if Magnus comes here, the bastard will hurt him. And anyway, Magnus asked for space, he doesn't want to see me."

Izzy frowned, pulling out her phone.

"I'm pretty sure he'd want to know that you're hurt, Alec. Having a little fight doesn't mean he's stopped loving you. And anyway, we need help with this, we have no idea what those failed runes could do to you right now."

Alec looked confused but Jace spoke before he could find his words.

"Are you saying they could turn him into a forsaken?"

Izzy tapped at her phone and shrugged. "His angelic power is gone, I don't know if that makes him totally mundane but I don't want to risk it. I'm sorry Alec, but I need to call Magnus."

Alec shot out a hand and grabbed his sisters arm, glassy eyes pleading.

"Please, Izzy. I can't be the reason he's hurt. I can't stand to lose him, just call someone else."

Isabelle let out a very long sigh before groaning and giving in. Alec's sad face was one she couldn't say no to.

"Fine, I'll call someone else just please, stay still and would someone get me some water and bandages please."

Raj, who had been standing nearby, went off to fetch what she needed as Jace tried to get Alec settled on the bed.

Ten minutes later, the doors opened to reveal a regal looking warlock, with claws and ink black eyes. Her name was Itzel and used to work for the New York institute before Magnus became more involved.

She walked into the room and briefly shook hands with Isabelle before spotting Alec and realizing he was her patient.

"Pardon me, but why can't Magnus Bane attend to his companion's wounds?"

Izzy replaced a cold compress to one of Alec's rune burns as she answered, impatiently.

"We can't involve him in this, but we need a warlock."

This was apparently the wrong answer and those black eyes blinked rapidly as Itzel shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't be a part of any form of deception against the high warlock. He'll know and he'll be angry." She was terrified of the thought, and quickly left, leaving a very irritated Izzy. Alec was a little proud actually, of how just the thought of his boyfriend getting mad, scared someone so completely.

Isabelle groaned and grabbed her phone once more, tapping at the screen as she spoke. "I'm calling Magnus."

"No, Iz you can't!"

Apparently, she could, and pretty soon she had explained the whole thing and was hanging up.

"He's on his way."

"Izzy!"

She held up her hands as Alec prepared to have a meltdown. "I told him he was being watched and threatened and he said he'd take care of it. So, just chill okay, he'll be here soon."

Alec did not chill, but instead hatched a somewhat scrambled plan, as Izzy went to the lab to get more pain killers. Alec was not particularly clear headed, due to the concussion he'd sustained, but he was committed to following through with his plan never the less.

So, after asking Jace to get him a fresh hoodie from his room, Alec made a break for it. He tore the IV from his arm and hobbled down the hall was quickly as he could manage with the splint on his leg and the double vision he was experiencing. Which was pretty slow.

By the time anyone realized he was gone, he was halfway to the kitchen, where he'd intended to hide. A shout rang out through the institute and he hobbled faster, not liking how angry his sister sounded.

"Alec! You get back in this bed right now!"

It was getting very hard to keep walking, his vision blurring and the room spinning so fast he had to lean against the wall to breathe. It wasn't helping that his broken leg hurt so badly that it was like a white flame beneath his skin.

He could hear footsteps behind him rapidly approaching, and a voice calling out, but he didn't stay awake long enough to find out who it was. Alec fell to the floor, tumbling into unconsciousness head first.

Magnus had seen his boyfriend fall limply to the floor, and had been the one to carry him back to bed, worried out of his mind. Izzy flipped out at the sight of her brother, not knowing how to help without the use of runes, and begged Mangus to help him.

Jace helped Magnus lay the injured man down, taking one of Alec's hands in his as he waited for Magnus's flaming hands to finish their work. He was muttering ancient words under his breath as he waved his fingers across Alec's skin, and swore when he finished.

"What's wrong? Is he going to be okay?" Isabelle was too worried to sit, but stopped her pacing as she asked.

Magnus sighed. "That little bastard used a curse, Alec's angelic energy has been blocked and I can't heal him. I can take his pain but that's about it. He'll have to heal on his own."

Jace placed a hand over his parabatai rune, now numb under his fingers. "Is that why I can't feel him?"  
Magnus nodded, watching Izzy as she reattached Alec's IV, now that the examination was over.

"Yes, but it won't last forever. The spell will fade within a few weeks or so, then you'll be able to feel him and he can use runes again."

A groan came from the bed then, and all eyes turned towards the one occupying it.

Izzy knelt beside her brother, gently stroking his cheek as she tried to coax him awake.

"Alec? Can you hear me?"

He groaned again and lifted a hand to his head as he squinted his eyes open. He looked confused as to why his three favourite people were looking down at him with such worry, and just blinked up at them for a while before finally speaking.

"Hey."

The three non-injured parties of the room shared a collective sigh, as Alec looked down at himself and slowly remembered what happened. The warlock in the alley, the curse, his siblings finding him on the institute steps. No wonder they were worried.

Alec spotted Magnus behind Izzy and frowned sadly at him. "I'm sorry, I told Izzy not to call you."

Izzy stepped back and allowed Magnus to sit on the edge of the bed, gently taking his boyfriends face in his hands.

Alexander, what are you talking about? Oh, look what he's done to your poor handsome face." He frowned sadly and kissed the tip of Alec's nose, between the bruises and scrapes on his cheeks.

"Why would you tell Izzy not to call me? You're hurt, I need to be here."

Alec carefully adjusted his splinted leg as he tried to explain, gasping against the pain.

"You didn't want to see me, you kicked me out after our fight. And the guy that attacked me said he'd hurt you if I tried to see you again." Magnus gently swept a hand over Alec's broken limb, taking his pain away.

"It doesn't matter if we're fighting Alec, I still love you and I need to take care of you. As for that potato sack of a warlock, I took care of him. He was arrogant about his strength and forgot who the prince of hell was. Why don't you trust me to take care of myself? It's like you don't want me to be a part of your life."

"That's not true-"

"Then why are you pushing me away?"

Alec winced at Magnus' raised voice, not liking the way it hurt his head and the fact that it sounded so sad.

"Please don't yell at me Magnus, we had our fight this morning and then I got beaten up and I'm really not having a good day." Magnus only crossed his arms as he continued to glare at Alec, so the man sighed and told the truth.

"I hate when people are rude to you, Maggie. It makes me so mad and I can't control myself, I didn't want to end up punching one of my bosses and getting de-runed just because you can handle it and I can't. I know you can take care of yourself but you're always looking after everyone else and I wanted to do that for you. You deserve to be taken care of."

The warlock sighed and pecked a kiss on Alec's cheek. "Oh, darling you're so sweet. You could have just told me that this morning."

Alec just nodded, knowing he should have been honest from the beginning. He'd just been worried that his feelings were getting too intense for Magnus and he hadn't wanted to think about what would happen if Magnus didn't love him the same. It's hard to feel special when there are seventeen thousand other loves to contend with. But that was stupid too, Magnus was immortal, of course he'd loved lots of people and that just made it more special. Magnus had loved so many and lost so much and yet he still had the capacity to love with everything he had. Alec had been silly to think he didn't matter.

"I'm sorry, I love you Magnus."

"I love you too angel. As for your injuries, unfortunately, I can't heal them so you're going to have to let us take care of you for a little while."

Izzy gave Alec one of her looks. "You aren't going to run away, again are you?"

Alec felt a little embarrassed about his escape now, and looked up at his sister with a small smile.

"I'll behave. Sorry."

Izzy gave Alec a small telling off for bailing on her but quickly switched from anger to worry, fretting over him, and worrying about how dazed he seemed to be. She wasn't used to healing someone without the aid of runes and magic, and so, she worried about every little thing.

"Those cuts on your cheek could get infected, I should do something about that. Maybe you shouldn't sleep, because of the concussion, I can't tell how bad it is and you keep slurring your words and I think you forgot my name five minutes ago and-"

Alec just took her hand and gave her a little smile, ensuring her he was fine. Although he had a little trouble staying calm when Magnus told him how long it would take for the curse to fade.

"A few weeks? So, I have to heal like a mundane till then?"

Magnus nodded, and gently propped the Nephilim's leg up on a pillow. "I'm afraid so my love, so that means no work or missions and probably no walking for a little while."

"How long does it take for a broken leg to heal?"

Jace looked up from his phone and made a face, one that told Alec the news wasn't good.

"Simons says it's usually about …six…weeks. And you'll need a cast."

Alec was not a happy man and made sure everyone knew it, but ultimately, he had no choice. Isabelle and one of the healers wrapped Alec's leg in a cast, while he grumbled about it itching, and they helped set him up in bed once it was dry.

Magnus tucked the blankets back over him, being careful of the poor angel's injuries, while Alec grumbled some more. He hated having to be taken care of, and didn't want to any time off work, but he couldn't get his siblings or his boyfriend to let him go.

Jace, in particular, seemed to be stuck to his side.

"Jace, you know you don't have to stay, right? I'm sure you have work to do, especially since I'm not allowed to do any." The blonde had sat himself in a chair next to Alec's bed and hadn't moved after handing Alec an ice pack for his bruised jaw.

Jace shrugged, hesitating, before looking down and playing with his fingers.

"Well, your runes aren't working and… our bond is blocked until you get your angel mojo back. I don't like being disconnected from you, I can't feel you anymore and… it feels like your gone."

Alec couldn't be mad at that. Jace looked genuinely upset. Alec felt bad about being so dismissive, until Jace smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Plus, I wanna draw on your cast. Izzy's getting the pens now."

Alec protested that idea but Isabelle came back a few moments later and the two crawled onto Alec's bed like children and started colouring in. Magnus laughed a little at Alec's complaints.

"Draw on the cast, not my toes. Jace, don't draw that! Oh, by the angel, you're gross. I'm going to have to cover that up. Seriously, you disgust me. What are you, twelve years old?"

Jace and Izzy were giggling as they drew and Alec eventually gave in and just smiled at the sound of their laughter.

Alec had orders to rest and relax but of course, Alec Lightwood did not like to stay in once place for long and constantly escaped his room. It was never hard to find him, because after all, he was on crutches and his concussion made him almost always dizzy. He'd stumble into furniture and lose focus as he tapped at monitors, until someone found him and dragged him back to his room.

It was usually Jace that got him first, always keeping an eye on him, until their bond came back.

"Alec, dude, you need to rest. Izzy's going to be mad if she finds you out here and you know that look she always gives you always works."

Although Alec never gave up easy. "Shadowhunters don't get holidays. I'm fine."

"You just spelt your own name wrong. Come on, let's get you back to bed."

Magnus was the best at it by far, with a pout or smile and those beautiful eyes that could make Alec do anything. The Nephilim would have papers and files strewn over his lap on the bed, trying to read them through a headache, until Magnus swept them away and crawled onto Alec's lap instead.

"You aren't allowed to do paperwork, why don't you do me instead."

Of course, this caused its own problems, especially when they used flimsy excuses to keep people out of his room.

Jace had the misfortune of walking in during 'physical therapy.'

"OH, MY GOD! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DOING STRETCHES OR SOMETHING, WHY ARE YOU NAKED?"

Despite the awkwardness of that particular encounter, it really was hard for Jace to be separate from someone he used to feel a part of for years. He was a little clingier and didn't like to leave his brother so Alec just hugged him tight and told him he was fine for the millionth time.

"You don't have to worry Jace, I'm just lying in bed. It's not like you don't know where I am, and I'm apparently not getting up anytime soon."

Jace tried not to sound like he was whining. "I know but it's not the same."

Alec did his best to be patient as he sighed. "How about I just tell you what I'm feeling, now that you can't feel them through the bond. Like, right now I'm feeling like you need to chill a little bit. The runes will come back man, think of it as a vacation from me."

"I don't need a vacation. I was really worried about you Alec, when I saw you on the security cameras and I couldn't feel you through the bond? I thought you were dead and for that tiny moment I was in a world without you in it. I thought I'd lost my big brother. It was horrible."

Alec sighed and hugged his brother tighter. "I'm not leaving you, Jace."

And Alec couldn't be annoyed after that. He had scared everyone and they only wanted to take care of him, so he did his best to behave, using his crutches when he was supposed to and staying away from computer screens.

As, promised, the runes came back and Alec's leg healed, but he received as many kisses he could want from Magnus and about as many hugs as he could stand from his siblings.

He eventually did take Magnus to the meeting with the Clave, and although there were some looks and offhanded comments aimed towards them, Alec just held his boyfriends hand tighter. He was in love, and he didn't care what his bosses thought about that. Magnus was his everything and their dirty looks wouldn't change that.


End file.
